Children's Classic Books discussion

I’m away and forgot my computer so my original post won’t be as fancy as usual. But nevertheless, let the discussion begin!

I've started reading this book and at 33% into the book I'm not captivated. The style seems awfully simple for a Newbery winner written in 1964. I thought it was a lot older than that when I nominated it!

The pace of the book really picked up after my last comment since new characters, Manolo's friend and his brother, were introduced.
And I do like the ending!

One issue I do have about the book is an author from Poland writing about bullfighting in Spain. I really hope she lived there for a length of time to get an authentic appreciation and understanding of the people in Spain.

The honour book for the same year, 1965, was Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt.

Here's a snippet from Wojciechowska's New York Times obituary:

"The book's authenticity came from the author's own experience. Ernest Hemingway acclaimed her as an expert on bullfighting; she managed to get training with fighting bulls and killed one in the ring in Mexico."

That's certainly in depth research!

Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska
Published: 1964
Awards: Newbery Medal Winner 1965

Summary: "Manolo Olivar has to make a decision to either follow in his famous father's shadow and become a bullfighter, or to follow his heart ......." (Goodreads)

Death of the Picador – Francisco de Goya, c. 1793

Well, here is something about this book that certainly I never knew, gleaned from an interesting interview of MW in The Pied Pipers: Interviews With the Influential Creators of Children's Literature:

"It has three different endings. The British version has a much
better version than the American version, where they forced
me to revise the final chapter. I did another ending for the
French edition, and I just wrote a screenplay of the book, and
that has a very logical ending."

So now I'd like to track down a copy of the UK edition (Hamish Hamilton, 1964) - please note that it is credited to Maia Rodman (her married name). Anyone seen it?

The copy I have is the American version. I am curious about the British ending.